by KaLyn Cooper
Table of Contents
About this Book
Captivated in Cancun | KaLyn Cooper
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Special Acknowledgements
Author’s Note
Cancun Series | Christmas in Cancun (#1) | Conquered in Cancun (novella #1.5) | Captivated in Cancun (#2) | Cancun Crossover / Hot SEALs
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
The End
Cancun Series
About the Author
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About this Book
In Cancun for a wedding is the perfect cover for Josh Madden, retired SEAL and the new Director of Anti-Terrorism at Homeland Security. Intel believes Mexican human traffickers are smuggling terrorists into the USA on cruise ships. What he really wants to uncover are the repressed desires of the groom’s sister.
The discoveries Lilly made about herself after her recent divorce solidified her resolve to never allow a man to mold her into the woman he wants her to be. Focused on raising her two young boys, launching her family’s fledgling cruise line and rebuilding her self-esteem, she’s tempted when her brother’s former boss offers to make her bedroom fantasies come true.
When their worlds collide, Lilly needs a super hero. Will Josh choose the mission over a woman in trouble?
Captivated in Cancun
KaLyn Cooper
Dedication
I dedicate this book to the men and women who put their lives on the line for the United States of America every day. Not all serve in our military, but that doesn’t diminish their dedication or commitment to keeping us safe.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank my critique partner, historical and contemporary writer Vikki Vaught McCombie, for her honesty and direction with this book. A major thank you goes to my amazing and expedient editor, Marci Clark, who is also a contemporary author writing as Marci Bordeaux and erotica author Emilia Mancini. Thanks to Laura Perkins, this book is as accurate as possible in Naval matters without breaking OpSec. I’d like to thank my dive expert, Barry Bell, for the ideas related to the underwater world. Thank you also goes to New York Times best seller and writing guru, Bob Mayer, for helping me determine the essential conflict. Last, I thank my husband for his tolerance and patience while I researched and wrote this book.
Special Acknowledgements
While plotting Captivated in Cancun, I realized I needed to plan the wedding of Jack and Jillian Girard, the main characters in Christmas in Cancun. There are so many decisions to be made for a wedding, even in a book...so I let my Facebook Friends plan the wedding. There were over a thousand entries and suggestions. The women listed here, and their names appear in the wedding scene, were selected through their specific suggestions and won by popular vote. If you would like to see all the decisions, please visit my website:
http://www.kalyncooper.com/jack—-jillian-wedding.html
Beach Wedding and Pool Reception: Kenderly Woods & Annette Drolet Mardis
Wedding Dress: Anna Martin Josey and Therese Scacchi Lopez
Flowers and Colors: Therese Scacchi Lopez
Tuxedos and Uniforms: Tracy Kreeger
Bridesmaid Dress: Jamie Clark
Cake: Kenderly Woods & Jamie Clark
Author’s Note
Captivated in Cancun is Lilly and Josh’s story and the second novel in the Cancun Series. Lilly is introduced in the first novel, Christmas in Cancun, and briefly mentioned in Conquered in Cancun novella 1.5. If you haven’t already, please consider reading the other books in the Cancun Series.
Cancun Series
Christmas in Cancun (#1)
Conquered in Cancun (novella #1.5)
Captivated in Cancun (#2)
Cancun Crossover / Hot SEALs
For upcoming titles in the Cancun Series and standalone books by KaLyn Cooper, visit www.KaLynCooper.com
Chapter 1
Lilly Girard squeezed her hands together and stared out the darkened side-window of the Mercedes SUV to hide her insecurity. She wasn’t sure how Jack and Jillian had talked her into going to their cousin Kuk’s club in Cancun. Mayan Nites had always been a place for young people to meet and hook up. Pushing thirty-five, Lilly had just kissed her two darling boys goodnight. Sure, she was single, but wasn’t looking for a man—temporary or otherwise.
“I’m so glad you decided to go out with us tonight.” Jillian turned around in the passenger’s seat and smiled. “It’s going to be fun. Just the way to start off our wedding week festivities.” Jillian reached over to the driver’s side and took Jack’s hand.
In six days, Jack and Jillian would vow to love each other forever, in front of family and friends. Their Christmastime romance had initially shocked the entire Girard family.
Even though Jillian had been briefly married to Lilly’s and Jack’s youngest brother—Jimmy had been murdered in a drive-by shooting a few months after their Las Vegas wedding—none of the Girards had known Jillian and the daughter she’d had with Jimmy, Addison, until they’d accepted the invitation to celebrate the holidays with the family in Cancun.
Jack had fallen in love with Addison first, and then her mother. Having a little girl in the family had been so wonderful, yet heartbreaking, for Lilly.
After getting to know her sister-in-law better over the past five months, Lilly was so happy Jillian had found love once again and was going to remain part of the family. Watching Jack, the playboy former SEAL, fall hard and fast for the quiet and studious Jillian, had been entertaining.
The heated glance Jack and Jillian exchanged said it all.
They were so in love.
While happy for them, a jab of pain wrapped around Lilly’s heart and pumped doubt throughout her body. She had been in love with her sons’ father, but he’d never looked at her that way.
Her gaze trailed to Jillian’s face, enraptured in the man beside her. In retrospect, Lilly wasn’t sure she’d ever looked at Dr. Brighton Carlisle with that captivated expression. Maybe at first, when she’d been enthralled with the idea of their future together. And all her dreams had come true. She’d become a successful corporate attorney, he a renowned orthopedic surgeon. He’d slid easily into the Chicago social life she’d grown up within, surrounded by friends and family. Girard International, her family’s business, was a patron of the arts and sports so they had box seats for everything from the ballet to the orchestra, and a loges to watch the Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, and, yes, both the Cubs and the White Sox. Then there was the big house in the suburbs with a fenced yard for their two children.
For nine years she and he-who-didn’t-deserve-to-be-named had lived that life—a life that had been perfect.
Or so Lilly had thought. But now she was single, and thankful to be rid of her cheating ex. She wasn’t looking to replace him. Ever. Her two young sons filled her life with unbelievable joy as they discovered the world around them. She had a wonderful job as the attorney for her family’s corporation, and she loved her life in Chicago. She also enjoyed getting away t
o their vacation home in Cancun.
“Don’t worry, sis,” Jack called over his shoulder in a reassuring voice. “You know all of my crew, and you met Luke’s fiancée, Caroline, earlier today. Her Navy friends should have arrived by now and will be there, too. They’re really great women. You’ll like them.”
Good. Maybe the younger women would occupy Jack’s employees. She liked the men who captained his catamarans and dive boats for tourists, but they were several years younger than her with that SEAL mentality of being God’s gift to women. Fortunately, they treated her as though she were an older sister rather than a conquest for a one-nighter. But they did like to dance, so she might get onto the floor and move a little.
“You’ll get to meet my old boss.” Jack glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “He’s in town combining work and the wedding.” He glanced at Jillian with a warm smile. “Madman is performing the ceremony.”
Great. Another macho SEAL to deal with. But he had said old. And boss.
Jack veered right toward the Hotel Zone and club area of Cancun. “I owe that man my life. Madman personally dispatched Luke to pull my team out of a bad situation in—” He abruptly stopped. “It doesn’t matter where.”
Lilly understood. Her younger brother had been a Navy SEAL involved in missions all over the world that he could never talk about. Secretly, she was glad he was not in that line of work anymore. “Well, I’m thrilled he saved your sorry ass and got you home safely. I’ll thank him for that.”
Jack pulled into the employee parking lot near the back door of their cousin Kukulcan’s night club. As soon as Lilly’s sparkling, high-heeled sandals hit the pavement, she tugged the form-fitting dress down so it was barely above her knees. Jillian had dug the sleek sheath from the back of Lilly’s closet and declared it perfect. Yeah, it had been perfect twelve years ago when she was a wild college student, before she’d had a professional image to uphold, the title of mother to carry on a banner over stomach muscles that never quite returned to their original flat position, and the ever-so-daunting designation of wife of Chicago’s premier ortho surgeon.
“You look beautiful. Young and stunning.” Jack reassured her as he looped her arm through his on one side and tucked Jillian in on the other. “I swear you are getting younger since you dumped Dr. Dickhead. He was turning you into an old hag long before your time.”
Since his statement was true, Lilly said nothing in response.
The threesome strode into the dark, vibrating building. As though she absorbed confidence through Jack’s arm, with every step Lilly regained the self-assurance her ex had torn from her soul a scrap at a time. She felt beautiful, sexy, fully female, and comfortable in the familiar club.
She breathed in sweat and pheromones as they headed to the back corner where a table was always reserved for Jack. The woofers pulsed a fast beat, urging the filled dance floor to bounce with the rhythm. Lilly found her own heartbeat matching the tempo. A forgotten excitement flowed through her. The place oozed sex, and it enveloped her entire body.
It was Cancun. The area had always increased her desires to the point she’d made bad decisions. During a sunset walk on the beach while they were there celebrating her passing the Illinois bar ten years ago, she had accepted the marriage proposal of he-who-would-not-be-named-so-as-to-ruin-her-night. More recently, between this past Christmas and New Year’s, she’d had sex with the young and very handsome family doctor. Another huge mistake. It seemed he had forgotten to mention he was engaged until he’d introduced his very pregnant fiancée to Lilly at the Girard New Year’s Eve party.
But at least she had gotten that rebound sex out of the way. And it had been good sex. Until that night with Dr. Dickhead Number Two, Lilly had been too depressed to even think about intimacy for nearly a year. It hadn’t been all that important in her marriage either, especially during the last few years when nothing was good enough for him. She refused to go there ever again, least of all tonight.
The club filled every one of her senses with a long-dormant anticipation of fun. It was as though she’d stepped back in time twelve years and she was single again, confident in her unabashed sexuality.
Yeah. She could use a little sex. No strings attached orgasms with someone she’d never see again. She’d played that scene a few times while visiting her family’s Mexican compound during college. That seemed like ancient history. But that was still the mode of operation for her older brother, Levi, every time he came to Cancun. He’d find a willing woman, spend a few hours relieving the stress of his life and busy job, then walk away, unscathed. Could she do that?
No. She was now a responsible mother with two small boys at home who depended completely on her.
But she could have a few drinks, dance with some good-looking men, and let loose for a few hours.
She found her stride matching the beat, her hips swinging with I’m-ready-to-play moves. No. Sex wasn’t on the table of possibilities tonight. The Mayan tiger momma wasn’t back yet, but she’d left the den and was on the prowl for some fun.
****
Clubs like Mayan Nites hadn’t been Josh Madden’s scene in years. At forty-three, he preferred a good glass of scotch, an overstuffed recliner, and the latest suspense novel as evening entertainment—after watching Jeopardy, of course. Damn, didn’t that make him sound old? He’d been to hundreds of meat markets like this one all over the world, looking to lose himself in alcohol or a willing woman for a few hours.
There had been plenty of beautiful women on display as he’d returned from talking with his staff at the operations center at Homeland Security in D.C. His division had been tracking a group of human traffickers who reportedly had a team of terrorists moving through the underground system. This was the real reason for being in Cancun, but Jack’s upcoming wedding was a great cover. He could play tourist for a week and make contact with his local assets, maybe work in a few scuba dives and do a little deep sea fishing.
For the past four months, work had kept him on the road—more accurately in one of the bureau’s jets—or at the USSOCOM Ops Center, the heart of Special Operations Command. As the director of the Terrorist Unit within the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, it was his responsibility to prevent extremists from entering the United States. Fortunately, that last call had confirmed that the coyote he was tracking had locked down this latest group of men, women, and children for the night, so Josh could relax for a few hours.
He took a long pull on his beer then set it on the glossy black table. Settling back in the comfortable chair, Josh surveyed the crowded dance floor. Several of his former SEALs were dancing with the women pilots he’d just met. Nice kids. All of them. He understood why the SEALs had left the Navy for this life. No one shot at them. No one was trying to kill them with an IED or shoot down their helicopter with a surface to air missile minutes before they fast roped into another hell hole. They captained Jack’s boats during the day and partied their asses off all night. A great life...if you are in your twenties or even early thirties.
Josh suddenly felt like an old man at a bachelor party for his favorite nephew. And it wasn’t far from reality. Jack had always been special. He’d been an awesome SEAL, willing to take on anything and anyone.
Then his brother had been murdered.
Josh knew what that felt like, too.
Jack had resigned his commission and left the Navy to build a successful catamaran operation in the Caribbean. Josh was so proud of him. He looked forward to seeing Jack, who was expected at any minute, then spending time over the next several days with him and the men he’d once called his lieutenants.
In the meantime, Josh watched a group of young women who gyrated to the deafening beat a few feet from him. The bleach blonde kept glancing his way as she stretched her arms over her head and salaciously snaked her curvaceous body, turning to show him an impressive ass. Damn, he liked a nicely rounded butt on a woman as he drove into her from behind, his favorite position lately. He didn’t care to see the
woman’s face or talk to her. It was just sex, and the women he took to bed knew it because he made it very clear before they got naked. He also made sure every woman had just as good a time as he did.
As she turned back toward him, sexy smile in place, his gaze lifted from her tempting hips to her breasts which were trying to leap over the top of her tight dress. Nice. He could handle those. But as his gaze traveled upward to her face, he pegged her in her early twenties. Probably still in college.
No way. Too young. She’d be looking for a sugar daddy, and he was nobody’s daddy...of any kind. He could easily have a daughter her age, though he’d never had children for a reason. The mere thought of fucking someone half his age was enough to make him lose the erection that had been taking an interest in the blonde. Approaching voices stole his attention.
Luke’s fiancée, Caroline, slid into the chair beside Josh as he wiped any ideas of sex off his mental slate. He’d enjoy talking with the young men and women at their table for a few hours then return to his hotel room, alone. That scotch sounded better and better.
With engrained habit, Josh visually swept the room for threats. His eye caught on movement as someone entered through the back door, not far from his current position. His whole body came alert to a possible intruder. The man’s swagger was one Josh knew well, so his demeanor eased.
He stood to shake hands with Jack who turned to the woman at his right side. “Lilly, I’d like you to meet Josh ‘Madman’ Madden, my former commanding officer. Josh, this is my sister Lilly.”
Now this was a woman. The slinky red dress screamed I’m gorgeous and not afraid to flaunt it but was demure enough to say treat me right because I’m a lady.
She extended her hand in a very professional manner, assessing him with dark brown eyes and a practiced smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Josh.”
